‘Maha’ Crisis For Shiv Sena As Rebel Eknath Shinde Claims Support Of 40 MLAs.

Shiv Sena rebel Eknath Shinde, projecting the party as the real Sena, has appointed a Chief Whip and declared a meeting called by party chief Uddhav Thackeray “illegal” further fuelling the political turmoil in Maharashtra as the coalition government is on shaky ground.

Mr Shinde claims support of 46 MLAs and invokes Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology. Mr Shinde and his followers stepped up their act with a letter to the Governor and Deputy Speaker in the state assembly. The letter by 34 rebel MLAs – four of them Independents — declares him their leader.

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Besides appointing Mr Shinde the leader of the Shiv Sena Legislature Party, the rebel faction, in a resolution, said there is “enormous discontent” among the party cadre over the alliance with ideologically opposed Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP.

It also claimed “great dissatisfaction” over corruption in the government, corruption by ministers like Nawab Malik and former minister Anil Deshmukh and administrative issues.

The Sena has 55 MLAs, of who 40 are learnt to be with Eknath Shinde. If they resign, the Sena’s number comes down to 15.

Eknath Shinde – who has been consistently evoked the legacy of Balasaheb Thackeray and his version of Hindutva since yesterday — can split the party in the assembly but needs the support of at least 37 MLAs to protect them from the anti-defection law.

Earlier today, Shinde camp MLA Nitin Deshmukh reached Mumbai and expressed support for Uddhav Thackeray. He said he was “kidnapped” and taken by force to Surat.